A heavy equipment operator excavating near the intersection of Powers Road and Blakely Road ruptured a natural gas line Wednesday afternoon, prompting an evacuation and the closure of about 1,200 feet of the roadway, officials reported.

Bend Fire Captain Chuck Goss said an alarm was received about 1:45 p.m., November 14, and arriving crews isolated and evacuated the area with the assistance of law enforcement personnel when the gas line rupture was discovered.

Cascade Natural Gas was able to clamp the line about 2:30 p.m.

Powers Road between Brookswood Boulevard and the Bend Parkway was closed for about an hour, the captain said.